Gate-operating mechanism



Aug. 20, 1929. I oghs I I 1,725,420 I GATE OPERATING MECHANT SM Filed June 7, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 g- 20, 1929- F. +1: ROGERS GATE OPERATING MECHANISM Filed June 7. 1921 :s Sheqt-Sheet 2 Aug. 20, 1929. ROGERS 1,725,420

GATE OPERATING MECHANI SM Filed June 7. 1921 I5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Aug. 20, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK H. ROGERS, OF PH'ILADELZPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNO'R, BY MESNE AS- SIGNMENTS, TO 'I. I. MORRIS CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

GATE-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Application filed June 7,

This invention relates to hydraulic machines and particularly to the operating mechanism for the adjustable gates or guide vanes of hydraulic turbines and pumps. These gates orguides control the flowthrough the turbine or pump and one object of the invention is to provide for the operation of the gates in such manner that the control will be made steady at reduced flow under small loads and at the same time quickly responsive and effective under normal full load conditions. Another object of the invention is to provide for less force on the turbine gates at large loads on the turbine and greater force on the gates at small loads on the turbine, in order to suit the actual hydraulic conditions. Another object of the invention is to provide for the tight closing of the gates so as to avoid leakage. Further objects of the invention particularly in interposing yielding connection between each gate and the operating means as a protection against excessive strains on the gates, will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view with parts broken away of a turbine having adj ustable intake gates,

Fig. 2 is a detail of mechanism shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a View partly in section of one of the safety links shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4.- is a sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 3,

Figs. 5,6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are views of modified forms of links, and

Figs. 11 and 12 show diagrammatic layout of forces.

In the specific embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings a hydraulic turbine with a runner having a vertical shaft S receives its flow through the intake 5 having fixed stay vanes 6 and adjustable guide vanes or gates 7 the stems 8 of the guide vanes pass upward through the cover casing 9 of the turbine and at their upper ends are keyed to lever arms 10 by which they are turned to either the closed position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 or to wide open position as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 or to any desired intermediate adjustment as shown in Fig. 1. The arms 10 are connected by links 11 to the operating ring or cylinder 12 rotatably mounted 1921. Serial No. 475,600.

on the cover casing 9 and this operating ring in turn 1s connected at 13 to the piston rod 14 of a fluid pressure operated piston in cylinder 15. Fluid pressure on one face or the other of this piston will move the operating ring 12 clockwise or counterclockwise to close or open the gates 7. The fluid pressure supply to the ends of cylinder 15 is controlled by governor mechanism operating to open or close the gates according as the speed of shaft S falls below or rises above a desired normal.

In moving the vane 7 from open to closed position, it is highly desirable that: First, for a constant force from the operating ring 12, the force applied to the vanes should increase as the vanes close; and second, for a constant movement of the operating ring 12, the moveniient of the vanes should decrease as the vanes c ose.

The first result is desirable because as the vanes 7 close, they are turned more directly across the flow lines, so that the pressure resisting the closing is increased, becoming a maximum at the closed gate position. It is therefore advantageous to have a larger force applied to the vanes as they close. The means by which this is accomplished is illustrated by diagram of forces Fig. 11.

Let R=tangential force exerted at end of radial line 1 of operating ring 12 having a center of rotation 0'.

Let F =tangential force exerted at end of radial line 1 of lever 10 pivot-ally moving around a center 0.

By resolvin g forces i. e., the tangential forces exerted on the ends of the lever and operating ring are directly proportional to the sines of the angles between their respective radii and the link 11.

If force R is assumed constant, we have (II) where r=0 hence F infinity and Therefore the force F may vary from zero 'to infinity as the operating ring moves from position I' to II. The range of stroke is actually placed between these two limits, wide open gate position being toward I and the closed position being toward II.

If the radial lines 1 and 1 are parallel If from this position the link 11 moves to-.

and therefore ward the right side, angle 1' becomes greater than angle 7, their difi'erence increasing with the motion, so that force F becomes less than force R.

' In like manner, if the link 11 moves from the parallel position of the radial lines 1 and 1 toward the left, angle becomes greater than angle 1 and hence force F becomes greater than force It.

As already explained, as the vanes 7 close the pressure resisting the closing is increased, becoming a maximum at the closed gate position, so that the described arrangement of gearing suits the actual conditions. For the open position of the vanes the radial lines 1 and 1 are parallel or nearly so, hence F=R and therefore as the vanes 7 close force F becomes greater than force R, reaching its maximum value for the closed position of the vanes.

In addition to meeting the requirements of hydraulic load, this maximum force F is of considerable value in closing the vanes 7 tight, thereby cutting down the water leakage. By means of this arrangement of gearing, the size of the operating cylinder 15, which moves the operating ring 12, may be reduced as it is only necessary to design the cylinder for the force R required to produce the force F at the open vane position, and at the closed vane position the same force R will produce the greater force F required at the vane. In former types of operating mechanism the angle which the link 11 makes with the lever 10 is approximately equal to the angle which the link makes with the radius of the operating ring for all positions of the gates and therefore the force exerted on the lever and the movement of the lever is practically the same as the force and movement of the operating ring for all positions. In the structure of this invention the ratio of the angle'between the link and the lever to the angle between the link and the radius of the operating ring increases as the gates move from open to closed position. For closing movements, if the above ratio increases, the force on the lever increases and the movement of the lever decreases for a constant force and movement from the operating ring.

In order to obtain this increase in the ratio of the angles mentioned above it may be desirable to increase the radius of the gate circle so that for all positions there will be clearance between the extreme outside points of the op erating ring and the extreme outside point of the gate lever so that in an inside operating ring type turbine the radius of the gate circle will. be greater than the sum of the length of he lever and the radius of the operating ring. To apply this same principle to the outside operating ring type turbine the radius of the gate circle will be less than the difference between the radius of the operating ring and the length of the lever arm.

The second result mentioned above is'that for a constant movement of the ring 12, the movement of the vanes 7 should decrease as the vanes close. This action is of great importance from the viewpoint of speed regulation of the hydraulic turbine. At large gate openings the efliciency curve of the turbine is quite flat, whereas at small gate openings the curve is steep. This means that for a given load change, the angular turn of the vanes 7 should be greater if the unit is operating at large gate openings, than if operating at small gate openings. For any gate opening the governor will produce the same angular turn at the operating ring 12, for a given load change, and it is therefore desirable that for a constant angular turn of the operating ring, the angular turn of the vanes 7 should vary, being greater at full gate and less at closed gate. The means by which this requirement is accomplished is shown by a further study of the diagram shown in Figure 11.

Let W =angular velocity of radial line 1 of operating ring 12'.

W angular velocity of radial line 1 of lever 10.

V =tangential velocity at end of 1,

V =tangential velocity at end of 1 Then. VR 2 11 W]; and VF: 12 WF Neglecting friction the energy transmitted by the operating ring 12 equals the energy imparted to the lever 10.

1 As 1s a constant, we have i. e., the angular velocities vary inversely as the tangential forces. Substituting from formula (1) we have l liv sine r 4 W sinej H l l giving W sine r sine r r W17? sine f K WE si ne f"()) For position (I).where f=0 lV =infiinity.

For position (II) where r=0 VV =zero.

For the usual range in positions of the vanes from open to closed, therefore, the angular velocity of the vane 7 decreases as the vane closes, reaching its minimum value at the closed position. As already pointed out, this action is'of importance from the viewpoint of speed regulation of the turbine. The arrangement is also of great benefit for synchronizing generators. \Vhen synchronizing the only load on the turbine is the bearing friction and the windage load and the turbine vanes are open only a small amount. It is highly desirable under these conditions that the governor should hold the vanes steady and thus maintain uniform speed. No load changes are occurring on the generator, but the poor hydraulic conditions within the turbine, due to the small gate opening, cause small instantaneous speed changes re sulting in the governor moving the operating ring 12. Vith the former designs of operating gearing, nearly equal movements occur at the vanes, causing increased governor action or hunting. Under these variations in speed, synchronizing becomes a very diflicult and dangerous operation. The special gearing herein described however overcomes these difiiculties, for at small gate openings, the movements of the operating ring 12 caused by the governor result in very much smaller vane movements, so that the governor action is not aggravated, the speed remains steady and the generator may readily be synchronized.

By varying the relative angles and lengths of the links 11 and arms 10 the relation between the movement of the ring 12 and the gates 7 may be varied to suit the particular circumstances of any installation. The mechanism giving a varying movement of the gates for the same regulating movement of a governing member at different gate openings is not necessarily limited to the linkages between the ring 12 and the gates 7 but may be applied to other points in the train of the governing mechanism.

The principle of the invention has been illustrated in connection with what is known as the inside operating ring type of turbine, i. e., the operating ring in this type of turbine is located inside of the vane ring circle. In certain types of turbines it is often desirable to reverse this condition and locate the operating ring outside of the gate vane circle. This latter type is known as the outside operating ring type. The special arrangement of the operating mechanism of this invention is applicable in exactly the same manner to the outside operating ring type as shown in Fig. 12 which gives the diagram of force for the outside operating ring type corresponding to the diagram shown in Fig. 11 and reading on the above description and formulae.

It sometimes happens that the closing movement of one or more gates may be prevented by an obstruction caught, for instance, between the gates, or the opening movement may be stopped by something catching between a gate and a stationary part such as one of the fixed stay vanes 6. In such case the entire moving force for all the gates may be concentrated on a single gate which is jammed. To permit the remaining gates to be operated and at the same time to avoid breakage of some part which is ditlicult and expensive to replace, the links 11 are formed as safety members insuch manner as to yield when excessively stressed either in compression during closing or in tension during opening.

Preferably each link 11 is formed with one end 25 slidable in the other end 26 but held against sliding by replaceable member such as the split ring 27 set in exterior groove 28 of the end 25 and interior groove 29 of the sleeve end 26. When the force applied to a certain gate exceeds a safe amount either in compression or tension the ends 25, 26 will transversely shear the ring 27 into portions remaining in the respective grooves 28, 29 and the portion 25 will be free to slide back and forth in the sleeve 26 so as not to apply any turning force to the jammed gate and at the same time to permit operation of the remaining gates. Upon removal of the obstruction the sheared split ring is quickly replaced by another one by simply unscrewing the end 26 of the sleeve 26, removing the old ring and inserting anew one and screwing the end 26' of the sleeve 26 back into the place in the position shown in Fig. 3. This ready replacement of the yielding element is very advantageous since jams and breakages mostoftener occur at times'of heavy loads and when the shutting down of a unit means great loss in power.

' In Fig. 5 a modified forms of safety link is shown. Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views on lines 66 and ?'7 of Fig. 5. In this link the parts 35 and 36 are cast integral by small intermediate webs 37. In this construction the metal at sections 37 is made of such thickness as to fail by shearing at the desired load on the link and hence the link will break either in tension or compression. The band 38 is cast integral with piece 35 to prevent bending action on the arms (if piece 35, so that the link will fail by shear at sections 37. The distance Z) is made about equal to the stroke so that when the link fails the piece 36 will slide inside of piece 35 and thus protect the jammed arm and gate, the length of movement of piece 36 within piece 35 being limited by the end of the slot so as to form a mechanical stop to limit the free motion of the gate after breakage of the link. With the operating ring in the closed position, the gate will be prevented from being forced into contact with the runner vanes in case an obstruction lodges between the gates.

The gate levers are also arranged so that their motion in either direction after breakage of their connection with the operating ring is limited by the bosses of the adjacent levers so that the gates cannot in any case become reversed in position by revolving 180, and as shown they cannot turn freely more than approximately 120 even if a link is completely ruptured or removed.

In Fig. 8 the portions 45 and 46 of the link are relatively slida'ble and are held't-ogether by the replaceable pins 47. By rela tively staggering the holes 48, 49 in the members 45, 46 as shown adjustment of the length of the link is provided. In the link shown the end of the portion 46 and the base of the bifurcated portion 45 have beveled or inclined surfaces so that in case of breakage of pins 437 and on compression the two parts will be relatively displaced and thrown clear of each other and out of any interference with the moving parts of the operating mechanism.

In Fig. 9 the two portions 55, 56 of the link are bolted together by bolts 57 which I tightly bind the parts but are made of such transverse strength as to shear off when the stress exceeds a predetermined maximum.

In Fig. 10 the link is cast as a single piece in the form shown with the two portions 65, 66 connected by sections 67 which after casting may be machined at 68 to accurately dimension these sections for shearing above a certain load.

Any jamming of the gates occurs more usually when the gates are near their closed position and at this time the arms 10 are turned outward away from interference with the operating parts. Even at wide open position the arms 10 do not extend into the path of movement of any of the projecting parts of the ring 12. Consequently thebreaking of the link frees the jammed vane entirely from the operating mechanism and the arm 10 cannot be subsequently engaged by another operating part. This is an important advantage as in prior structures the jamming of the gate will sometimes occur with the end of arm 10 between the bearing projections 42 (Fig. 2) of ring 12 so that after the safety link-broke as intended, the further rotation of the ring 12 would engage the end of the arm 10 and forcibly turn the arm until some part of the gate mechanism was broken. With the arms 10 permanently clear of the operating ring as in the combination of this invention such interference and breakage cannot take place.

I claim 1. In a hydraulic machine the combination with pivoted gates, of operating means therefor comprising safety links adapted to yield intermediate their ends under compressive forces above a certain predetermined amount before any remaining portions of the mechanism fail, said links being under compression during the closing movements of said gates,

2. In a hydraulic machine the combination with pivoted gates, of operating means therefor comprising safety linksadapted to yield intermediate their ends under compressive or tensile stresses above a certain predetermined amount before any remaining portions of the mechanism fail, said links being un der compression during the closing movements of said gates and under tension during the opening movements of said gates.

3. In a hydraulic machine the combination with pivoted gates adapted to regulate the flow, of operating means therefor comprising a. rotatable control member and connecting means between said gates and said member closing said gates at a decreasing rate of movement for a constant rate of closing movement of said member.

at. In a hydraulic machine the combination with pivoted gates adapted to regulate the flow, of operating means therefor comprising a rotatable control member and connecting means between said gate and said member closing said gates with a force increasing in the closing direction for a constant pressure of said member.

5. In a turbine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates, of a rotatable operating ring within said gate circle, and connecting means between said ring and said gates and adapted to transmit a force to said gates increasing in the closing direction and having a reaction on said ring comprising a component directed radially inward toward the center oi said ring.

6. In a turbine the combination with a pivoted gate member, of an operating ring therefor, and a link member connecting a point of the gate member to a point of the ring so that the ratio of the sine of the angle of the line through said points and the radius of the gate point to the sine of the angle between the line through said points and the radius of the operating ring point increases as the gate moves from open to closed position.

7. In a turbine the combination with a pivoted gate having an operating lever, of a rotatable operating ring, and a link member connecting said gate to said ring so that the ratio of the sine of the angle between the link line and the lever to the sine of the angle between the link line and the radius of the operating ring increases as the gate moves from open to closed position.

8. In a turbine the combination with a pivoted gate having an operating lever, of a 1'0- tatable operating ring, and a link member connecting said gate to said ring so that the ratio of the sine of the angle between the link line and the lever to the sine of the angle between the link line and the radius of the operating ring increases as the gate moves from open to closed position and the closing force on the lever also increases for a constant force from the operating ring.

9. In a hydraulic machine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates relatively adjustable to vary the openings between them, of means for actuating said gates comprising arms on said gates and safety links operating said arms and adapted to yield intermediate their ends when strained above a predetermined amount during the movements of said gates in either tension or compression during either the opening or closing or" said gates.

10. In a hydraulic machine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates relatively adj ustable to vary the openings be tween them, of means for adjusting said gates comprising arms on said gates and safety links operating said armseach haying replaceable parts intermediate their ends adapted to yield when strained above a predetermined amount during the movements of said gates in either tension or compression during either the opening or closing of said gates.

11. In a hydraulic machine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates relatively adjustable to vary the openings between t-hem, of means for adjusting said gates comprising a rotatable operating ring and links extending from said ring and turning arms carried by said gates in the plane of said ring, said arms being permanently out of the path of movement of all parts of said ring.

12. In a turbine the combination with a series of pivoted guide vanes arranged in a cir cle and having operating levers, of an operating ring within said gate circle and having its outermost periphery spaced inward from the innermost ends of said levers at all positions thereof.

13. In a turbine the combination with an operating ring, of a surrounding series of pivoted guide vanes arranged in a circle concentric with said ring, levers on said gates and links connecting said levers to said ring, the radius of the gate circle being greater than the sum of the overall length of the lever and the outermost radius of the operating ring.

14. In a hydraulic machine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates inclined to the radii of the circle, of arms moving with said gates and inclined at substantially less than 45 to the general direction oi said gates, and operating means for moving said arms to adjust said gates.

15. In a hydraulic machine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates inclined to the radii of the circle, of arms moving with said gates and inclined at substantially less than 45 to the general direction of said gates and operating means for moving said arms to adjustsaid' gates comprising a central rotatable ring and links from said ring to said arms.

16. In a hydraulic machine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates inclined to the radii of the circle, of arms moving with said gates and inclined at substantially less than 45 to the general direc= tion of said gates, and operating means for moving said arms to adjust said gates comprising a central rotatable ring and links from said ring to said arms, said links being inclined in a direction opposite to said arms.

17. In a hydraulic machine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates inclined to the radii of the circle, of arms moving with said gates and inclined at substantially less than 45 to the general direction of said gates, and operating means for moving said arms to adjust said gates comprising a central rotatable ring and links from said ring to said arms, said links being inclined in a direction opposite to said arms so that during the closing movements of the gates an increasing force may be applied to the gates for a constant pressure on the ring.

18. In a hydraulic machine the combination with a. circular series of pivoted gates inclined to the radii of the circle, of arms moving with said gates and inclined in the same general direction as said gates, and operating means for moving said arms to adjust said gates comprising a central rotatable ring and links from said ring to said arms, said links being inclined in a direction opposite to said arms so that the movement of the gates will decrease in the closing direction for a constant movement of the ring.

19. A turb'ne having a plurality of control gates, governing means arranged to move said gates corresponding to changes in load and comprising a control member and connections between said control member and said gates, moving said gates to a less extent near close position than near. full open posi tion for a certain length of movement of said control member.

20. A turbine having a plurality of control gates, an operating ring and connection from the same to said gates whereby a constant ate of movement of said ring produces greater movements of said gates when said gates are near open position than when near closed position and the force applied to said gates to move the same is greater when the ates approach closed position.

21. A turbine having a movable controlling means whose resistance to movement varies with the position of said means, operating means for said controlling means comprising connections to said controlling means and a rotatable operating member adapted to exert an approximately constant operating force on said connections, said con- (ill nections acting to vary the force supplied to the controlling means in accordance with the resistance to movement of said controlling means and for a constant force exerted by said rotatable operating member.

22. A turbine having a plurality of control gates, operating means for said gates, links connecting said means and gates, said links being formed of relatively adjustable parts connected. together intermediate the ends of the link by breakable members whereby upon excessive pressure applied to a gate the con .nection between said operating means and gates will be severed.

23. A turbine having a plurality of control gates, operating means for said gates, links connecting said means and gates, said links being formed of relatively adjustable parts connected together intermediate the ends of the link by breakable pins whereby upon excessive pressure applied to a gate the connection between said operating means and gates will be severed.

24. In a hydraulic machine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates inclined to the radii of the circle, of arms moving with said gates and inclined at an angle substantially greater than 15 and less than 45 to thegeneral direction of said gates, and operating means for moving said arms to adjust said gates.

25. In a hydraulic machine the combination with pivoted gates, of operating means therefor comprising safety links, each link being adapted to separate into relatively movable parts under compressive forces be-- tore any remaining portions oi tne mechanism tail.

26. In a hydraulic machine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates relatively adjustable to vary the openings between them, of means for actuating said gates comprising arms on said and safety links operating said arms each link being adapted to separate into relatively movable parts when strained above a predetermined amount during the movements of said gates in either tension or compression during either the opening or closing 01' said gates.

27. In a hydraulic machine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates incl ned to the radii of the circle and having links closing the gates under compression, of gate arms on said gates, each arm having a range of motion entirely on one side of the radius of the circle passing through the axis or said gate, and the arrangement being such that when the guide vanes are open each gate arm approaches a radial position and as the gates move toward their closed position each gate recedes from the radial position, and operating means for moving said arms to adjust said gates.

28. In a hydraulic machine the combina tion with a circular series of pivoted gates inclined to the radii of the circle and havin links closing the gates under compression, oi gate arms on said ates, each arm having a range of motion entirely on one side of the radius of the circle passing through the axis of said gate, and the arrangement being such that when the guide vanes are open each gate arm approaches a radial position and as the gates move toward their closed position each gate recedes from the radial position, and operating means for moving said arms to adjust said gates comprising links under tension during the opening movement of the gates and under compression during the closing movement of said gates.

29. Operating mechanism of a hydraulic turbinecomprising spaced bearings for connection to the operating rin and the gate arm respectively, and means for transmitting an operating force from one bearing to the other bearing in either direction and adapted to separate into relatively movable parts whenever said operating force exceeds a predetermined safe amoun 30. Operating mechanism of a hydraulic turbine comprising spaced bearings for connection to the operating ring and the gate arm respectively, and means for transmitting an operating force from one bearing to the other bearing in either direction and adapted to separate into relatively movable parts whenever said oporating force exceeds a predetermined s'afe amount in either direction.

81. In a hydraulic turbine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates, of opcrating mechanism for said gates comprising a series oi arms on said gates and links connected to said arms, each of said links being under compression during closing of the vanes and having means for freeing the gate from the operating pressure whenever said pressure exceeds a predetermined amount, said means comprising a renewable element proportioned to fratture at a predetermined stress.

32. In a hydraulic turbine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates, of operating mechanism for said gates comprising a series of arms on said gates and links connected to said arms, each of said links being under compression during closing of the vanes and having means for freeing the gate from the operating pressure whenever said pressure exceeds a predetermined amount, said means comprising a renewable elementproportioned to fracture at a predetermined stress in either direction.

33. In a hydraulic machine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates inclined to the radii of the circle, of arms moving with said gates and inclined with the centerline of the arm at an angle less than to the radius from the axis of the gate to the discharge edge of the gate, and operating means for moving said arms to adjust said gates.

34. In a hydraulic machine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates inclined to the radii of the circle, of arms moving with said gates and inclined with the centerline of the arm at an angle less than 45 to the radius from the axis of the gate to the contact point at the discharge tip of the gate, and operating means for moving said arms to adjust said gates.

35. A turbine having a plurality of control gates, operating means for said gates, and links connecting said means and gates, said links being formed of relatively adjustable parts connected together by breakable mem bers whereby upon excessive pressure applied to a gate the connection bet-ween said operating means and gates will be severed.

36. In a hydraulic machine the combination with pivoted gates adapted to regulate the flow, of operating means therefor comprising a rotatable control member and connecting means between said gate and said member closing said gates with a force increasing in the closing direction for a constant pressure of said member, said operating means comprismg a member proportioned to fracture at a predetermlned stress so as to free the gate from the operating pressure whenever said pressure exceeds a predetermined amount.

37. In a hydraulic machine the combination with pivoted gates adapted to regulate the flow, of operating means therefor comprising a series of arms on said gates and links connected to said arms, each of said links requiring a compressive force to close the gates, and means for freeing the gates from the operating pressure whenever said pressure exceeds a predetermined amount, said means comprising a member proportioned to fracture at a predetermined stress.

38. In a hydraulic turbine an operating mechanism comprising a turbine gate and gate arm, an operating ring and spaced bearings for connection to the operating ring and the gate arm respectively, the bearing connecting to the operating ring being located on such side of the gate arm that a compressive force is required between said spaced bearings to close the gate, and means for transmitting an operating force from one bearing to the other bearing in either direction and adapted to separate into relatively movable parts whenever said operating force exceeds a predetermined safe amount.

39. Operating mechanism of a hydraulic turbine comprising an operating ring, gate and gate arm, and spaced bearings for connection to the operating ring and the gate arm respectively, means for altering or adjusting the spacing of said bearings of any gate independently of other gates, and means for transmitting an operating force from one bearing to the other bearing in either direction and adapted to separate into relatively movable parts Whenever said operating force exceeds a predetermined safe amount in either direction.

40. In a hydraulic turbine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates, of operating mechanism for said gates comprising a series of arms on said gates and links connected to said arms, each of said links being so disposed relatively to the gate arm that a compressive force in the link tends to close the gate, and means for adjusting the position of any one gate independently of the rest.

41. In a hydraulic turbine the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates, of operating mechanism for said gates comprising a series of arms on said gates and links connected to said arms, each of said links being so disposed relatively to the gate arm that a compressive force in the link tends to close the vane, means for adjusting the position of any one gate independently of the rest, and means for freeing the gate from the operating pressure whenever said pressure exceeds a predetermined amount.

42. In a water turbine having a runner and a plurality of gates for controlling the flow of water to the runner, a gate operating mechanism comprising a movable shifting memher, and adjustable connecting means between said shifting member and the different gates, said means comprising for each gate a pair of movement transmitting members and an adjustable breakable connecting member.

43. In a water turbine, the combination break under predetermined load, said levers,

V shifting means, and connecting m ans, being constructed and arranged to permit the levers to remain stationary, it the connecting means should break.

44. In a hydraulic machine, the combination with a circular series of pivoted gates movable to vary the openings between them, of means for actuating said gates comprising arms on said gates and safety links operating said arms and adapted to yield intermediate their ends when strained above a predeten mined amount during the movements of said gates in either tension or compression during the opening or closing of said gates.

45. In a hydraulic turbine, an operating mechanism comprising a turbine gate, and operating means therefor including a link having component parts so arranged and normally held together as to form a unitary operating link, certain of said parts forming a portion breakable by a compressive load applied to the link as a whole while others form bearings at each end of the link whereby when said breakable portion fails said bearing portions are adapted to move relative to each other.

46. An operating link for a turbine gate having a connecting opening through each end thereof, and a weakened breakable body structure intermediate the ends of the link, thereby being adapted automatically to render the link inoperative as a connecting means when subjected to an abnormal stress due to a load tending to shorten the link.

FRANK H. ROGERS. 

